The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the clearance between a mounting arm traveling in an orbital path above a moving conveyor and the conveyor is particularly useful in applications where the mounting arm carries a dispensing device to a fill containers carried by the conveyor.
In operation of such devices the adjustment between the clearance between the mounting arm, the associated dispensing device and the top of the conveyor is critical in that it affects the area over which the material is dispensed and the dispensing pattern.
In other applications the clearance may be critical to avoid fluid splashing out of the containers and loss of the material from the container. Such an occurance is particularly undesirable where in a subsequent operation a lid is applied to the container, for example, by gluing or heat sealing to a flange provided around the periphery of the container and the presence of the material on the lip or flange impairs sealing.
Various prior art arrangements are available for moving a dispensing device with a moving conveyor where containers are carried by the conveyor, however, in known prior art arrangements the clearance adjustment is accomplished manually and requires termination of the operation of the device for adjustment of the clearance.
No prior art arrangement is known providing means for the adjusting the clearance between the dispensing device and articles carried on the conveying line during operation by adjusting the position of a mounting arm which carries a dispensing head. Prior art devices are known where the dispensing head is carried by a servo mechanism carried by the mounting arm but such arrangements are first of all expensive to build and are generally not reliable over an extended period of time so further expense is incurred in lost production time for repair and for maintenance expense.
The ability to adjust the height of a dispensing device above a conveyor is advantageous particularly when the material being dispensed is a liquid where the viscousity of the liquid may vary with time as a result of changes in temperature or changes in composition so that the area over which the material is disposed or the pattern is changed and the clearance between the dispensing device and the recepticals must be frequently adjusted.